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Quitting Social Media May Improve Your Mental Health

User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 August 24th, 2022

"Social media is a powerful force that can spread both positive and negative messages instantly. Hurtful comments, threats, and criticism shared through social media can take a toll on mental health.

Is social media a "bad" thing?

When you start following a thread, you're enticed to branch off into deeper threads, and you can lose hours of your day without even realizing it. The danger of social media often lies in its anonymity. When no one has to "sign their name" or prove their legitimacy to post a comment, people can post comments that they would never voice in public.

Why do people follow social media if it's not good for them?

Social media sites can become a process or behavioral addiction versus a substance addiction. The "likes" and "follows" give us a sense of validation–it's like getting a high five or a compliment from someone that matters.

Social media can provide a great opportunity to explore the lives of others, engage in some self-assessment, and share your thoughts and experiences and advice or reviews. However, when you find yourself spending excessive amounts of time trawling the site for positive feedback or going deeper down rabbit holes, spending too much time in "upward comparison," or experiencing excessive amounts of FOMO (fear of missing out), it may time to rein in your wanderings and focus on the people around you IRT (in real-time).

Benefits of Cutting Down on Social Media Time

Sleep quality is likely to improve–you're not exposing yourself to the unhealthy light from your screen, but you're also going to have less worrisome thoughts at night as you won't be focused so much on what others have or do. The anxiety caused by comparing yourself to others will decrease, so you'll sleep better at night and feel better during the day. Depression has been associated with the overuse of social media, so limiting media time may increase your mood. You'll also have more time to spend with other people and develop deeper relationships with the people in your life."

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

Have you ever taken a break from social media? How has it changed your life?

*I've taken a break from social media for an year during 2016 because of a very important exam and I realized that it made me more appreciative of moments with family and friends especially since I don't have to think about taking the perfect picture to post on an outing. I also had a lot more free time*

#SocialMedia #MentalHealth #Life


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User Profile: calmDew1576
calmDew1576 August 24th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463 Social media can project many fake information and standards that are very unhealthy for our psyche. It is important to learn how to distinguish truth from lies when it comes to social media and not allow negativity affect us!

1 reply
User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 OP August 25th, 2022

@calmDew1576 Exactly! Well said! Social media tends to show us a distorted image of others and sometimes ourselves. It can go from helpful to harmful in the few seconds it takes to scroll once. These days, there is a lot of misinformation being spread and there is also an excessive exposure to content that can be harmful to our body image. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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User Profile: innateJoy9602
innateJoy9602 August 24th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463

Yes!!!!!!!

Taking a break from social media definitely qualifies as self-care! Personally, I don’t have social media accounts. I think it contributes to keeping a positive mindset and not being too focused on what anybody else is doing.

Thanks for the article Night<3 ✨💛

1 reply
User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 OP August 25th, 2022

@innateJoy9602 You're absolutely right!. It's great that you don't have to worry about social media. It becomes less tedious. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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User Profile: fruityPond7887
fruityPond7887 August 26th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463 I have taken like a day, here or there, as a break. It's not much, but it helps when I'm seeing everyone socialize and I feel very alone. Sometimes you just need a break from everyone and the world and that's okay <3

1 reply
User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 OP August 26th, 2022

@fruityPond7887 Very true! I understand that it can be so overwhelming at times.

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